Derelict War
Beginning in 1488 AF, the Derelict War is a prolonged conflict that was waged for twelve years between the forces of the Nemesis Concordat, led by the Aurolian Federation, and those of the Archeo-Pact led by the Imperial Grand Duchy of Far Valyrius. AF 1440-1487: Origins 1440: After their conquest of the Zervus System, the Aurolian Federation comes under constant attack from mercenary fleets and pirates working for the Imperial Grand Duchy of Far Valyrius, which is attempting to stamp out a nascent rival. These attacks prompt the Federation to seek help from its allies in the form of shipbuilding materials and security, which leads to the creation of the present-day Federation Navy. 1445: Formation of the multi-system Colchis League, a loose military and economic union composed of innumerable human trader-nations and petty kingdoms on the planets Ishkaar, Orrock, Vvaryl, Yeth, Magu Minor, DeKirk's World, and Old Colchis. Colchis League Space borders the vast, lifeless desolation of the Fury System. 1460: Scouts from the Aurolian Federation discover a derelict Imperatrix Class Golden Empire supership marooned in an ancient GE space-minefield in the Fury System. The Aurolian Navy draws up plans to quietly seize the ancient warship, but lacks the resources and archeo-tech expertise to do so. 1485: The New Berlin Economic Accords are signed on New Deustchland by Fifth Reich Fuhrer ''Vorian Von Traupitz and the Imperial Grand Duchy Ambassador: Viscount Aldamaar Reichenfels. The Accords include a special economic arrangement in which the Fifth Reich is supplied with foodstuffs from the Duchy in exchange for heavy metals and munitions. During his visit, Reichenfels is treated to numerous military parades and displays of Reich military power. The Lord Ambassador's urbane wit and diplomatic skill are applauded by all, and his departure from New Deustchland is marked by an over-the-top display of friendship between the two nations and a mutual committment to human superiority. Reichenfels is secretly horrified by the Reich political system, ideology of xenos-extermination, and military capability, and urges caution in Duchy relations to the Reich in secret hearings before the Valyrian Diet and Ducal Intelligence Ministry, in which he refers to the Reich as "dangerously intelligent barbarians", "techno-Huns", and "perhaps the greatest danger to Imperial security in the sector." 1487: Federation naval forces drive local pirates/rogue elements out of Fury System and derelict ship, bringing the system and its contents to the attention of the Imperial Grand Duchy. Ducal High Command orders that the ship be salvaged. 1487: Countess von Grindehook, Regent to the Ducal Throne, and her allies secretly begin assembling mercenary fleets and armies at the pirate/fortress world of Y'Ghul, well outside of the Archenar System, using the Countess' own enormous family wealth to initially fund the slow build up of forces. The Duchy contracts with the infamous pirate fleet the Shadow Dawn, commanded by the barbarian Captain Voidscarr, to provide auxiliary support for the Ducal Navy. AF 1488: Opening Moves: Operation Mandate and Escalation in the Fury System 1488: Fighting in the Fury System erupts as Duchy Naval taskforces and their mercenary auxilaries deploy in-system, launching boarding parties on the derelict to engage Federation reclamation teams. Federation and Duchy fleet elements around the derelict itself are restricted to small transports and strike craft thanks to the ancient minefield. Dog fights and Zero-G combat between infantry was the common method of space-combat for both sides near the ancient ship, since the surrounding mine field made it impossible for larger ships to enter. 1488: Countess Hildegaard von Grindehook is elected Protector of the Realm by the Valyrian Diet in Grand Duchy, after setting a successful trap for a powerful technobarbarain chieftan in the Archenar system. Grindehook uses fear of the Federation as a means to consolidate her power against internal enemies. Prominent isolationists in the Duchy pledge support for the war effort, in order to keep GE weaponry out of the hands of the "upstarts, radicals, and terrorists" of the Federation. 1488:' Operation Mandate''' is launched by the Duchy. The largest force of mercenary elements assembled in sector history, along with the 1st Ducal Expeditionary army and two taskforces of the Duchy Navy, is set loose upon the human-colonized worlds of the fractious and militarily weak Colchis League. The Federation officially allies with the League, and sends military advisors, equipment, naval assets and humanitarian aid to what will now become known as the Contested Systems. In the Grand Duchy, Operation Mandate is presented to the Valyrian Diet as an attempt to seize strategic positions around the Fury system, and to sieze local resources and ideal positions of resupply. 1488: Aurolian scout teams witness the Duchy's conquest of the Contested Systems and broadcast the many atrocities that would soon follow. The Federation propaganda and diplomacy blitz convinces the Commonwealth and Freestate to back the Federation's plans to strike back against the Duchy. The Commonwealth officially denounces Operation Mandate, but makes no overt action against the Duchy. 1488: The First Battle of Archangel '''in the Fury System. Federation forces successfully defeat Shadow Dawn mercenary elements in the Fury System and flee before the Duchy Navy arrive. 1488: Operation Mandate is marked by incredibly rapid success against the Colchis League, whose outdated militaries are simply caught unprepared. However, the invasion forces suffer from disorganization and inefficiency as Duchy commanders attempt to control wildly disparate armies of hired soldiers and alien auxiliaries. Minor civil wars break out between mercenaries and Duchy brutality towards native populace of Contested Systems is rampant, inspiring several local insurrections, most notably on Magu Minor and Orrock. The Countess leaves the management of the war to the old guard of Ducal commanders, while reforming and expanding the regular army at home in the Archenar System. AF 1488-90: UNISEC Arrives, the Nemesis Concordat is born, the Colchis Offensive begins, and Operation Mandate comes apart 1488-90: Warfare on the derelict ship continues to escalate, and is marked by gridlock between Federation and Duchy forces. Both the inner decks and hull of the ship become a vast infantry battle ground, with fighters dogfighting around the derelict itself. 1488: The interstellar Corporation, United Security Solutions, comes before the Federation with an offer of partnership in business. The Federation allows UNISEC to operate freely in their terrority, and in exchange, UNISEC proivdes weapons, mercenaries and other equipment to the Aurolian Military. The Nemesis Concordat is formed between the Federation, UNISEC, Free State, and Commonwealth. However, the Free State and Commonwealth do not sign the concordat officially but agree to recognise, honour and support it. 1489: UNISEC sends the 51st Battlegroup to assist Aurolian forces. They begin by securing the lines of retreat, ensuring that Aurolian Forces will have a safe way to withdraw from the theatre of war. 1489: Operation Mandate is officially declared a success, with all major objectives acheived. Despite the Duchy's quick seizure of massive amounts of territory, inner disorganization, a series of rebellions, and a breakdown of military order among rampaging mercenaries prevents the Duchy from consolidating or securing its gains effectively. To compound difficulties, the Duchy institutes conscription on recently captured worlds. 1489: Global Cortex sends a number of Independent Pilots to the Derelict War at the secret request of the Commonwealth. 1489: Grindehook-Traupitz Non-Aggression Compact signed on Xaxus Minor in the Archenar System between the Grand Duchy and the Fifth Reich. The Concordat includes provisions for exchanges of greater foodstuff shipments and specialized archeo-tech expertise from the Duchy, while the Reich provides the Duchy with extensive military advisors, materiel, and expertise. At the celebratory dinner after the signing of the treaty, His Grace the Archduke soils himself while screaming about insects under his skin and has to be sedated and removed. 1489: Generaloberst Zeitzle and an extensive support staff is sent by the Fifth Reich to the Archenar System as an advisor to help oversee the re-organization, re-arming, and reform of the vast Ducal Army. The Ducal Intelligence Ministry begins an intensive effort to estimate Reich war-making capability and intentions. Reich personnel in the Duchy are confined to Special Diplomatic Zones. 1489: A small UNISEC force under the command of Isaac Reiksgaurd meets with Fith Reich command elements outside the Contested Systems. The two parties sign the Nuremburg Pact, in which both groups agree that hostilities within the Contested Systems is to be dealt with within the Contested Systems, and not beyond their borders. 1489: '''Naval battle at Yorick's Space, in the Fury System, establishes Duchy Naval superiority over Federation forces. 1489: Federation forces begin the Colchis Offensive in the Contested Systems. With the backing of the Commonwealth and Freestate, several Federation Task Forces were assembled with the mission to strike deep into enemy territory. These Task forces were codenamed: Viper, Spikeback and Qar. The primitive colony world of Magu Minor is the Federation's first target. 1489: The Battle of Magu Minor 'ends with a quick Federation victory over Duchy mercenaries already fully engaged by local insurgents. In a surprise move, Magu Minor is annexed by the Federation. 1489: The UNISEC 33rd Battlegroup arrives to relieve the 51st of picket duties, allowing the 51st to join the push into the Contested Systems. The UNISEC 52nd Battlegroup and the Broken Star Battlegroup arrives to support Federation forces. 1489: Second Battle of Archangel, also known as the Archangel Massacre. Drogue mercenary ships working for the Duchy fall upon a transport convoy of Commonwealth volunteers, destroying the troop carriers and fleeing before the Federation navy can arrive. In the battle GC pilots Solstice, Jeanine and Lucas Delafont fight hard against the Drogue Mercs, but are eventually overwhelmed. Pilots Jeanine and Lucas Delafont are critically injured during the battle, and are forced to retreat from the front lines. Commonwealth support for the war temprorarily flags. 1490-5: The Archeo-Pact and the Long War 1490: Seeking allies, the Valyrian Diet approaches the Nerkin Empire. After two months of negotiation, the Ipeffit-Archenar Treaty is signed and the Nerkin Empire agrees to declare war on the Federation in exchange for Duchy support of a second invasion of Cormyral once the Federation is defeated. Millions of slave soldiers are shipped out from the Nerkin Empire to join the frontlines. The Archeo-Pact is officially created; its signatories include the Y'Ghul Free Cities, the Nerkin Second Empire, the '''Imperial Arch-Barony of the Drogue ' '''Peoples and allied/hired Drogue factions, the Gn'Mok Legions, Colchis League vassal-governments, and the Imperial Grand Duchy of Far Valyrius. 1490: The terran planet known as Dekirk's World is renamed New Xaxus and is made the duchy capital of the contested sectors. Thanks to a high presence of regular Ducal army units, New Xaxus is effectively fortified and secured, and is the only one of the Duchy's new acquisitions which can be considered firmly Duchy territory at this point in the war. 1490: The Yeth Campaign begins. The Federation attacks Duchy forces on Yeth, and both sides become entrenched on a war torn world. The natives are forced to flee the continous onslaught or join the two powers in their war. Nerkin forces are sent to reinforce Duchy forces planetside and soon prove to be overwhelmingly ill-suited to modern warfare. Nerkin casualties rapidly rise to over half of the campaign's total casualties. Commonwealth SGF operatives are sent to train and equip the natives, who quickly prove themselves to be superior soldiers to the Nerkins. The Federation comes to call the costly swarm tactics of the Nerkin forces "the Nerkling-Rush." 1491: The first generation of Psi-Ops teams attempt to bring an early end to the war by assassinating Ducal supreme commander Lord General von Steiglitz. Strike Teams begin infiltration of New Xaxus, and assault the Lord General's heavily guarded Estate. The mission was a success with minimal casualties. Unfortunately, the war would not come to an abrupt end as hoped, but last for years to come. Lord General Dercius Nharrod replaces von Stieglitz, and proves himself to be an excellent commander, though one with limited control over his mercenary auxiliaries. 1491: The First Orrock Insurrection is erupts on the Duchy held world of Orrock and is quashed by the planetary governor. Guerilla and terrorist strikes from nativist rebels continue to plague the Duchy occupation forces. Nerkin troops are sent, by Duchy request, to reinforce the garrision. In reality these troops are here only to absorb damage in place of more valuable Duchy mercenaries. 1491: Federation Task Forces Viper and Qar stage a daring assault on the colony world of Ishkaar, taking the Shadow Dawn forces stationed there by surprise. The battle between the Federation and mercenary fleets would last a few hours before the mercs finally give in and fled. The orbital victory was quickly follwed by the mass surrender of the ground troops below, provided they were allowed to leave. The colonists cheered on as the Mercs left in droves followed by the arrival of their liberators. Ishkaar was the second world to join the Federation. 1491: Ishkaar Massacre. An overzealous Federation admiral defies military convention and opens fire on fleeing Drogue mercenary troop transports, destroying almost the entire occupation force as it tried to leave orbit. News of the event is suppressed in the Federation media. News reaches the Drogue Collective and, suspecting foul play, Drogue governments arm up several marauder fleets in order to avenge their losses. 1491: The Commonwealth government begins a domestic propoganda campaign to gain the support needed to grant the Federation more overt support. SFC elements are deployed to Federation bases in preparation of further involvement. 1491: UNISEC 0-Ops forces penetrate Duchy territory and insert themselves into key positions awaiting further orders. 1491: Mass protests rise all across Federation space with the Psi-ops sending more and more of their students off into the Contested Systems. 1492-3: Duchy forces attempt to reclaim the Ishkaar system of the Scion Sub-Sector in the'' Sc'ion Offensive', the resulting Campaign drags on for a year before Duchy forces fall back, but not without severely weakening the Federal defenses over the world in the course of the battle. During the fighting for the Ishkaar System, GC Independent Pilots rally to support the Federation's defense of the world. Heavy fighting in orbit results in the death of Jack-O and brutal retaliation from the GC pilots, resulting in a campaign targeting Duchy civilians throughout the area. The Pilots are eventually brought back under control, but the damage had already been done. The memory of Nemesis Concordat brutality lingers throughout much of the populace of the Contested Systems throughout the war. 1492: A Commonwealth cruiseliner, the ''Majestic is sunk by Duchy forces at the border of Federation space. Support for joining the war skyrocket as the Commonwealth's citizens take to the street in protest of the Duchy's actions. The government covers up all evidence that the cruiseliner had transported military supplies in the past and all previous warnings from the Duchy that the Majestic would be sunk on sight. 1493: Undercover Psi-ops, Federal SIS, and SGF teams begin a shadow war on New Xaxus. Forming their own cells of resistance fighters, sabotaging the Duchy warmachine as much as possible. UNISEC 0-OPs teams are caught in a Psi-Ops attack, believed by the Federals to be Duchy forces of importance. The ensuing battle results in chaos across New Xaxus as the myriad special forces teams come under attack from each other, each element believing the other to be Duchy forces, while actual Duchy forces are left in utter confusion. The Pariah battles it out with a Psi-Ops team, its innate abilities rendering their psionics useless against it. The team is wiped to a single man, the Pariah purposefully leaving the man alive with a promise to come back for him. Duchy planetary administrator Baron van Helding has a rage induced stroke and is hospitalized. 1493: The Commonwealth lease a flotilla of Veracious-class corvettes, crew and all, to the Federation. Before heading to the Federation the flotilla was crammed with Commonwealth volunteer troops and war supplies. 1493: Bishop teams up with Psi-Ops teams in the Dark Reach system, believing that the Duchy has been amassing forces there. Their discovery of a massive construction yard prompts them to immediatly withdraw from the area and report back to command, for fear of detection. UNISEC Command takes the information into consideration and begin to draw up plans for an assault on the system. 1493: A team of Commonwealth doctors doing humanitarian work are arrested as suspected spies and terrorists on New Xaxus. SGF teams and a JSFAG wing under the command of Captain Fortier is deployed on a rescue operation. Although the hostages are recovered, Captain Fortier is shot down and later recovered by a Psi-ops team. 1493: The Valyrian Diet formally commands the renegades of the Commonwealth to cease all hostile participation in the Contested Systems and to cut links with the terrorist organizations UNISEC and the Aurolian Federation. Prime Minister Edward Armstrong promptly responded with "Bow down and I'll consider it." 1493: Fighting in the Fury System has intensified as both sides send more troops and ships. Parts of the Derelict Warship are under permanent control of either the Federation or Duchy. 1493: While Federation and UNISEC forces make a push on the Derelict itself, GC Pilots move to secure the space surrounding it. Seeking to avenge their fallen comrade, Brigand, Bolt, and Caspian lead a surprise attack on a Duchy supply outpost. With the battle for the Derelict taking the attention of the Duchy, the assault is a massacre, with countless civilian dock-crew and non-combat personnel lost in the attack. Retribution by the Duchy is swift when a returning battlegroup encounters the three pilots massacring the dock-workers. A second battle ensues, resulting in the deaths of Caspian and Bolt. Brigand barely survives the assault, and is forced to retreat to the UNISEC 33rd Battlegroup. 1494: The Commonwealth officially blames the Duchy for an outbreak of the Forlorn on Carth, despite the fact that there is no evidence that the outbreak was a terrorist attack at all. Under SBTF orders a navy task force is positioned to move into Duchy space on a moment's notice. 1494-7: Second Orrock Insurrection, led by messianic nativist figure. Duchy exploitation of planetary resources is disrupted and the mercenary occupiers are tasked with brutal anti-partisan campaigns. The Second Insurrection lasts, to varying degrees of intensity, for 3 years before the prophet-warlord at its head is caught by Duchy secret police and killed. 1494: Within the Archenar System, the Countess secretly builds up the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Ducal Expeditionary Armies, along with the feared Gn'Mok I Legion on bases on Odros II. Likewise naval battlegroups Monarch ''and ''Imperator, ''which include the mighty flagship ''Ancestral Right, begin to be assembled and readied for offensive operations. Lord General Castamere is put in charge of the planning phases of Operation Random Gambit, a massive offensive designed to bring the war to an end. Opposition to the hostilities mount in the Valyrian Diet, as war levies and taxes increase to accomodate the rapidly expanding military. 1494: Brigand is rendered unable to connect with Abstractium because of the severity of his injuries. By the end of the year, both the man and the machine die. THF medical staff are puzzled by the synchronous deaths, with the engineering staff left open-handed as Abstractium refuses to power-up. Brigand is entombed within the cockpit of Abstractium and both are launched into the nearby star. Lucas Delafont and Jeanine withdraw their support of the war with the latest death. Solstice is hit particularly hard by the deaths of Brigand, Jack-O and Caspian, and swears vengeance upon the Duchy. 1494: A pair of undercover SGF operatives on New Xaxus are captured by Duchy forces and after a thorough interrogation admit to being there under official Commonwealth orders. The Duchy officially denounce the Commonwealth's involvement. The Commonwealth in turn utilize news of the interrogation to further its own domestic propoganda campaign. A second flotilla of Veracious-class corvettes are leased to the Federation. 1495: A civil war breaks out between two mercenary factions of the Duchy controlled world of Old Colchis. Duchy high command rushes regular army forces on planet in order to stabilize the situation before the Feds can exploit it, only to become embroiled in a three way war with its former hirelings.Federation Task Force Qar moves to exploit the situation and attacks Old Colchis, and likewise becomes bogged down in a now four-way war. Old Colchis, once a highly developed planet, becomes an apoclyptic hellscape divided between four armies. 1495: Dark Reach is the site of the second largest naval battle fought in the campaign, when the UNISEC 52nd Battlegroup runs into a large contingent of Duchy forces that had been amassing in secret. The Duchy forces had been building in secret a massive warship based off outer scans of the Derelict, and had nearly completed the vessel when the 52nd Battlegroup encountered the large defense force surrounding the vessel. A fierce battle ensues with the Ansalon and the Duchy super-ship engaged in a running battle across the construction yards, ending with the two vessels locked together unable to free themselves. The crews of both vessels attempt boarding manuevers to break the locked ships free, but the wars within the corridors is absolute chaos. As the two ships begin to spiral towards the wasteland world of the Dark Reach system, the crew of the Ansalon ''heroicly detonate their reactor in an anti-matter reaction that annhilates both vessels along with a majority of both fleets. Duchy forces retreat from the system, the loss of their secret ship, and the resources to recreate one too much for one day, and the 52nd similarly retreat with substantial losses of their own. The 52nd suffers nearly ninety percent losses of fleet assets, and their ground forces are forced to merge with the Broken Star Battlegroup. 1495: After the disasterous Battle of Dark Reach, the Ducal Intelligence Ministry (DIM) begins '''extensive investigations' into the origins, nature, and intentions of UNISEC. 1495: The Commonwealth suffers from a string of biological terrorist attacks, all of which the SBTF officially claim the Duchy to be behind. While the government temporarily steps down its support in the war to handle the crisis, civilian support reaches an all time high. 1495: The Thermidor Purges. The Ducal Army undergoes a series of purges and ruthless reforms, adding to the disorganization at the front. AF 1496-99: Attrition, the Maalik War, the Reich 1496: Generaloberst Zietzle, Head Reich Military Advisor to the Grand Duchy, is informed of the plans for Operation Random Gambit, and joins the planning team. Wehrmacht High Command is informed by Zietzle of the plans for the counter-offensive and is alarmed at the size and capability of the Duchy Regular Army. 1496: Federation forces rout Duchy mercenary armies on Yeth in what becomes known as the 200 Days Campaign led by the brilliant Federation General Argus Bradley. Duchy forces scramble to recover, and are just barely able to cling to several strongpoints on-planet. Drogue mercenary Colonel Ogrov begins a guerilla campaign against Federation forces that frustrates Fed attempts to dislodge Duchy from strongpoints. These strongpoints survive primarily through the assistance of the first several Fifth Reich 'Volunteer Divisions' to arrive. 1496: Operation Falling Star commences on Old Colchis; the full force of the Broken Star battlegroup descends upon the planet. The beginning of the attack is marked by the sudden withdrawal of Federation forces, leaving only Duchy forces fighting renegade mercenaries. Streaks of fire in the skies announce the arrival of the First Division Powered Infantry, their descent taking them to the remaining civilian sites of the planet. While the Powered Infantry massacres the civilians and rear-lines, the Armored Divisions and remnants of the 52nd Battlegroup drop on the front lines, with masses of tanks and Third Division troops advancing under a rain of artillery shells. The battle is a rout, leaving UNISEC in control of Old Colchis. 1496: A brief but costly war erupts between the Duchy and the Kov in the Maalik System. The 2nd Ducal Expeditionary Army, under Lord General Haukenburger, fights the Kov on Maalik IX, a lightly inhabited Golden Empire junkyard world full of archeo-tech and GE relics. Haukenburger is killed in the course of the conflict. Losses are staggering on both sides, with casualties over the course of six months exceeding the entirety of those on Yeth throughout the Derelict War. The Maalik War concludes, ironically, with a stalemate and a warming of relations between the Kov and Duchy, who agree to share the planet, in Kov terms, as The Maalik System Joint Prosperity Sphere...or, as the Duchy call it, the Maalik Vassalate. 1496: Ducal Intelligence efforts to infiltrate UNISEC intesify. Bounties are placed on mid and high level UNISEC commanders and officials throughout the galaxy, and the elite Drogue mercenary company Broken Heart! is contracted to dismantle the UNISEC command structure in the Contested Systems. Meanwhile, the head of Duchy Intelligence, Caractacus Veed, Marquis de Del Verth, opens up the WIDOW Initiative, gathering the cream of the Duchy BlackOps crop along with trusted mercenary contracters to plan a sector-wide assassination, counter-intelligence, and subversion campaign against UNISEC. 1496: UNISEC Supreme Warrant Officer General Isaac of Last Breach becomes aware of the DIM's efforts to destabilize the UNISEC command structure in the Contested Systems, and dispatches 0-OPs groups to intercept and destroy Duchy and Drogue Kill-Teams teams. A bounty is placed on the head of Caractacus Veed, the reward: a retirement package and life pension for the trooper who kills him. 1497: The first attempt is made on the life of Caractus Veed, head of DIM, by the UNISEC 0-OPs operative, Absolution on Xaxus Minor in the Archenar System. Veed loses an arm to the operative, but is able to fend him off until reinforcements arrive. Absolution flees and escapes into the wilds of Xaxus Minor. 1497: A political movement on Aurolia grows as the people weary of the war. The Unificationists seek an end to the war by all human nations surrendering their sovereignty to each other, bringing a new age of man under a human confederation. The movement does not sit well with the Goverment and is deemed a threat. 1497: UNISEC forces engage a staggering number of Nerkin forces on an asteroid outpost near the Dark Reach system. Despite technological superiority, UNISEC forces retreat under the massive assaults the Nerkin launch repeatedly. UNISEC losses are minimal, and when questioned as to why their forces withdrew, Warrant Officer General Julius Reiksgaurd stated, "We ran out of ammo." He is also quoted to have "Admired their enthusiasm." 1497: After their brief but bloody conflict in the Maalik System, the Grand Duchy of Far Valyrius and the Glorious Kov Socialist Republic negotiate the Argonov-Forsyth Economic Pact. The Duchy is supplied with heavy metals in exchange for vast agricultural shipments. Lord Ambassador Forsyth embarresses himself in a formal speech in front of the Kov trade delegation, by referring to the Kov as "our little friends". In order to maintain neutrality, Kov exports and imports are transported by Duchy freighters. Kov occasionally offer information on the routes of these freighters for a cost higher than the net worth of the transported materials. 1497: The Nerkin Empire's shambling economy begins to disintegrate under the strain of prolonged war. Duchy diplomatic and military pressure along with economic and humanitarian aid prevents the Empire from withdrawing from the conflict, and the Nerkin state increasingly becomes a client kingdom of the Imperial Grand Duchy. 1497: Battle of Vvaryl. Federation Task Force Spikeback launches an offensive against Vvaryl, but the attack is blunted by the Duchy Navy in day long orbital battle. Duchy Lord Admiral Tyvos is killed on the bridge of the battlecruiser Lady Caspar. 1497: Duchy forces stage an assault on Old Colchis in Operation Rising Stars. With the planet protected by remnants of the 52nd Battlegroup, Duchy mercenary forces, led by Captain Voidscarr of the Shadow Dawn pirate fleet, win a sharp but brief orbital battle. Mercenary companies Cancer Cancer! and Iron Maidens are able to gain a foothold on the planet and once more, Old Colchis is contested without a clear advantage on either side as Federation forces land in support of the hard-pressed UNISEC defenders. Captain Voidscarr is made an Honorary Admiral in the Duchy Fleet for his successful fleet action against a technologically superior force. Upon hearing that over 100,000 Cancer Cancer! mercenaries were killed during the invasion, Duchy Lord General Nharrod shrugged and ordered his mercenary-command liason to "buy 100,000 more of the disgusting creatures. Damned useful for soaking up flak." 1498: Ducal agents begin hiring vast levies of Zeluri warrior forms from the Drogue. In the Drogue, We Are Z is formed to accomodate the purchase. 1498: Solstice stands against a Duchy push with Federation forces in a battle for the Derelict. The battle is going well until a mysterious pilot of Global Cortex enters the battle, siding with the Duchy forces. Solstice and this pilot engage in a pitched battle across the Derelict's hull, their battle becoming the focal point for both Federation and Duchy forces. Solstice and the mysterious pilot battle for some time, until a critical moment where a transmission is sent from the mystery pilot that causes Solstice to lock up. The other pilot takes the chance to land a critical blow that disables Equinox, leaving Solstice vulnerable. Federation forces pick her up during the retreat from the battle, the mysterious pilot watching from afar. After the event Solstice withdraws her support from the war, leaving for the Commonwealth, where she books passage home. 1498: Federation forces lose ground within the Derelict Ship to Duchy Forces. 1498: The Leader of the Unificationists is shot dead in a rally, many accuse the Aurolian Government for carrying out the assassination. 1496-99: Duchy is hard pressed on all fronts as preparations for Operation Random Gambit drains resources from the front. Lord General Nharrod defensively redeploys the 1st Ducal Expeditionary Army onto New Xaxus and Vvaryl, leaving the Yeth and Old Colchis campaigns in the hands of Flathead battalions, the Nerkin Army, Reich Volunteer Companies, and various mercenary armies. With the exception of New Xaxus and Vvaryl, Duchy planetary holdings are kept safe only by superior naval deployments, as mercenary forces prove simply inadequate against Federal land forces. Of the Duchy auxiliaries, only the Gn'Mok prove equal to the Federal army. Federal SpecOps are able to operate practically unhindered on Orrock. Elaborate system of disinformation is developed by the Ducal Intelligence Ministry to hide preparations of the counter-offensive from Federal Strategic Information Service. 1498: Adamantium Pact signed on New Xaxus between Duchy Lord General Regbert Castamere and Reich Diplomat''' Heidrich Hess, outlining a military alliance between the Duchy and the Fifth Reich. The Reich refuses to join the Archeo-Pact. Viscount Aldamaar Reichenfels of the Grand Duchy vociferously opposes the alliance in private, warning the Countess of how dangerous the Reich warmachine is and the untrustworthiness of von Traupitz. DIM administrator Caractacus Veed, on the other hand, supports the alliance on the grounds that a nation should keep its friends close and (potential) enemies closer. The Countess deems the alliance an unhappy necessity to counter the unexpectedly vast military resources of UNISEC. On the day the treaty is signed, the Countess orders contingency planning to begin in Ducal High Command for a war with the Fifth Reich. 1498: The Reich officially enters the war on the side of the Duchy with the promises of increased territory as a compensation for the war effort. The 4th and 5th fleets of the Kriegsmarine are dispatched to aid the forces on Old Colchis and to relieve the pressure placed on the now official 'Volunteer units' still holding out in fortresses on Yeth. The Nerkin supreme commander of the threater is killed in action when a Reich orbital drop tank lands on his command center. The now decapitated force is quickly placed under Reich control and sees widespread use as "vanguard" forces for the remainder of the Yeth campaign. Duchy Lord General Nharrod is said to complain of the ungentlemanly nature of Reich tactics. Nerkin soldiers are reported to have said they "prefer the less costly Reich tactics" to those of their own commanders.Plans begin for the Reich annexation of Orrock. 1499: Alexia Reiksgaurd is captured- and appears to have been killed- by a mercenary team from the Spider Webz. Vengeance is swift, with the entirety of Broken Star battlegroup mobilized to assault the group's star-fortress within the Contested Systems. The Spider Webz starfortress is swept through and hurled into the nearby star, the inhabitants of the station locked within their rooms. UNISEC denounces the Duchy and demands reparations for the DIM's actions which resulted in the death of their beloved Warrant Officer General. Upon hearing of UNISEC demands, Countess von Grindehook is reported to have quipped "Shall I send flowers with the check?" 1499: The Spider Webz begin a recruiting drive in Drogue. 1499: In an unprecedented move of unilateralism, the corporations come together within the contested systems to devise an action plan against the Duchy. Representitives of UNISEC, Global Cortex, THF, and Solexus Engineering along with several other corporations from the same quadrant bring together Commonwealth and Federation officials to discuss their plans. The Corporations begin work on a massive weapon within contested space under Federation control, despite slight misgivings by their allies. 1499: DIM operatives discover the weapon within Federation held contested space, and several Duchy/mercenary BlackOps teams are redirected to sabotage the construction of the weapon. Carctacus Veed, head of DIM, insists that the WIDOW Initiative continue its sector-wide assault on UNISEC assets and command personnel, while redirecting the Drogue mercenary companies Broken Hearts! and Bad Meets Evil along with the pirate squadrons Switchblade Armada and Jackals to run the UNISEC naval blockade and wage a hit and run campaign against the weapon. Veed offers an astronomical bounty for the mercenary company that succeeds in destroying the weapon. Solexus Engineering has dozens of skilled engineers killed by Duchy raids before they withdraw their support of the project.Many Duchy commanders and lords begin to complain about DIMs unilateral redirection and use of mercenary forces, immense operating budget, and growing power in the Valyrian Diet and High Command. Without Solexus Engineering's support, the weapon is left non-functional. UNISEC leaves the gantry within Federation space to deal with at a later date. 1499: During a military parade designed to drum up morale on Vvaryl, Caractus Veed takes a position on a nearby balcony, observing the parade. The parade goes well until Absolution interupts the parade to make an attempt on Veed's life. The crowd watches in shock as Veed falls from the balcony, duelling the assassin. The pair's erratic movements make it difficult for Duchy sniper-teams to draw a bead on Absolution without risking Veed's safety. Veed, in a daring move, pushes an advantage he doesn't have, and tackles Absolution to the ground, suffering a stab wound to the chest in order for snipers to finally take their shot. Absolution is struck in the shoulder, and flees the parade, somehow managing to escape the Duchy's clutches once again. Veed is rushed to the hospital where he is treated for the deep laceration, a cut that came milimeters from opening his lung. Veed is declared a hero by the local population, and pro-Duchy support soars within the system. 1499: Federation, Freestate and Commonwealth forces note the subspace signatures of a large number of vessels incoming from the Western Quadrant. Supreme Warrant Officer General Isaac is requested to identify the incoming vessels, but declines, stating that UNISEC is merely holding up its end of the alliance. Endgame 1499: Third Orrock Insurrection begins, wiping out the Duchy mercenary garrisons and colonial forces in an embarrassingly brief amount of time. The Federation rushes weapons, vehicles and aid to the rebels, along with military advisors led by Colonel Taggart. The Grand Duchy loses face with its allies, the Fifth Reich, to whom the Duchy had been planning to peacefully transfer Orrock as per agreements in the Adamantium Pact. 1499 Gridlock and attrition war continues on the Derelict. 1499: Thanks to a '''daring Nemesis SpecOps mission, Federation High Command finds out about preparations for Operation Random Gambit, and the massive Duchy troop build up on Odros II. Emergency planning sessions among the Nemesis Concordat leadership begin. It is acknowledged that even with UNISEC help, the Federation is unlikely to win the conflict if it looses the initiative and is forced to fight a war of attrition against the Ducal Army and the vast Flathead battalions, Y'Ghul Sellsword Companies, and Zeluri levies being prepared for war in the Archenar System. Repeated calls upon the Commonwealth to fully commit to the war are demurred, since the Commonwealth leadership deems victory against the endless armies of the Duchy joined with the military powerhouse of the Fifth Reich an uncertain prospect at best. The Freestate likewise refuses to commit fully to the war effort. Bereft of options and leery of growing more indebted to UNISEC and its apparently limitless resources, the Federation considers suing for peace while it retains the advantage. 1500: The Fifth Reich demonstrates its aptitude for lightning war in a brutal and swift seizure of Orrock and decimation of the battle-hardened and well supplied native armies. Reich forces continue to be plagued by native and Federation guerillas on the war-devastated planet. All parties to the conflict are alarmed by the Reich's impressive victory at Orrock, including and especially the Reich's allies in the Grand Duchy. 1500: In a surprise move, Viscount Aldamaar Reichenfels and Caractacus Veed, head of DIM, propose a motion in the Valyrian Diet to cancel Operation Random Gambit. In a series of (classified) speeches to the Diet Committee for the Protection of Imperial Holdings, Reichenfels argues passionately that the Fifth Reich is too powerful, greedy and untrustworthy a nation for the Archenar System to be left with weakened defenses, while the full extent of UNISECs resources and intentions remain unknown. Reichenfels' speech lends support to the powerful isolationist caucus in the Diet, who propose a vote of no confidence in Countess von Grindehook. Only the brilliant political maneuvering of Count von Venym and Reichenfels himself is able to keep Grindehook in power as Protector of the Realm and Ducal Regent. Countess von Grindehook, Count von Venym, and Lord General Castamere are furious with Veed and Reichenfel's percieved betrayal. Preparations continue for Operation Random Gambit, but Grindehook and her allies only tenuously cling to power. 1500: Federation General Argus Bradley proposes a daring plan, codenamed Knightfall to stave off the feared Duchy offensive. After much debate by Federation High Command, UNISEC, Federation, and allied fleet elements begin assembling in the Ishkaar system. Several UNISEC battlegroups arrive in system and join the assembled fleet elements. 1500: Duchy Naval Intelligence stations in the Fury System detect the incoming subspace signatures of a massive enemy fleet. Debate rages among the Countess and her advisors about how best to respond. Eventually, Veed- back in the Countess' good graces- is able to convince Grindehook to fight the Federation in the Fury System in a decisive gamble. Naval battlegroups Monarch and Imperator, originally slated for Operation Random Gambit, are joined and redirected to meet the enemy in the Fury System, along with Reich Kriegsmarine forces from the Contested Systems. Both Duchy flagships- the Ancestral Right and Archduke Leopold- are included in the new taskforce, which includes over half of the Duchy Fleet and is led by Countess von Grindehook herself. Operation Random Gambit is indefinitely postponed. 1501: With Duchy army and navy forces centered defensively around the fortress worlds of Vvaryl and New Xaxus in the Contested Systems, the second half of the Federation plan Knightfall is launched, with a final, desperate push on Old Colchis and Yeth. Nemesis tactical and technological superiority once again beats numbers, as rapid deployments of reinforcements on Old Colchis and Yeth allow Nemesis Concordat forces to break the stalemate and seize both contested worlds from the mercenary/Nerkin/Reich Volunteer forces left in their defense. Following the initial Reich defeat in the struggle on the planet Yeth, the Kreigsmarine 2nd fleet is dispatched in an evacuation effort. The Reich Volunteer armies surprisingly manage to hold out for a full month after the surrender of their allies on the planets and ultimately are successfully evacuated. 1501: Archeo-Pact and Nemesis Concordat fleets meet in the single largest naval battle of the war at the Third Battle of Archangel. The battle lasts for nearly an entire week, with heavy losses sustained by all sides. To the suprise of all, the Nerkin 7th fleet acquits itself exceedingly well in the battle, destroying and badly damaging several Federation ships, while the Shadow Dawn pirate fleet is almost utterly destroyed, Honorary Duchy Admiral Voidscarr killed by a Federation torpedo on the bridge of his command ship. Ultimately, Duchy numerical and archeo-tech superiority, as well as aggressive Reich naval deployments on the flanks of the battle, carry the day, and the Nemesis forces are badly mauled. UNISEC forces rally around the paths of retreat, and stage a valiant effort to secure Nemesis Concordat retreat lanes. UNISEC loses three of their reinforcing battlegroups and Warrant Officer General Julius Reiksgaurd during the retreat, the Warrant Officer General tasking the remnants of his supporting battlegroup into a blockade against Duchy retaliation. Among the Duchy forces, the Archduke Leopold, while badly damaged in the fighting, scored three capital-class kills, while the Ancestral Right came through the fighting entirely unscathed and still managed to vaporize one rival battleship and badly maul another. 1501: The Duchy is able to seize the Derelict and recovery and extraction efforts begin in earnest. 1501: With the bulk of the Duchy navy tied up in the Archenar and Fury Systems, Federation General Argus Bradley is able to begin the most audacious offensive of the entire war, building on the experience and tactics of Operation Falling Star, in a concerted strike at New Xaxus. Duchy naval defenders of the planet were not so much defeated as outmaneuvered and forced to retreat without a fight to Vvaryl by Federation Commodore 'V'''aillant's brilliant naval deployments. As Nemesis forces assault the fortress-world, they meet- for the first time in the entire war- head to head with substantial regular Duchy army forces, under the direction of Lord General Nharrod. Nharrod conducts a brilliant defensive war, and Nemesis forces are badly mauled, but Nemesis orbital and atmospheric superiority along with the activation of long dormant UNISEC, SGF, and PsiOps assets, with close support from the JSFAG, put Nharrod in an impossible situation. The Reich 2nd fleet is again dispatched in an attempt to reestablish connection with the besieged world, this time however the fleet fails and is forced to retire. To the outrage of his Reich military advisors who wish to hold out until relief can arrive, the Duchy commander accepts defeat rather than pointlessly waste the lives of his men and surrenders to Nemesis commanders, signing the act of surrender in his chateau and handing his sword to General Bradley. Afterwards, Nharrod, to the further horror of his Reich advisory staff, proposes a toast to a worthy foe and congratulates Bradley and UNISEC Supreme Warrant Officer General Isaac Reiksgaurd on a well earned victory. Despite Federation misgivings, Isaac Reiksgaurd and Nharrod engage in extensive talks on New Xaxus, with much of the details remaining behind closed doors. Despite their victory, Nemesis High Command is privately concerned at the excellent performance of the Duchy Regular Army during the defense of New Xaxus. 1501: Countess von Grindehook recognizes that with the loss of Nharrod's army and New Xaxus, Operation Random Gambit is a strategic and political impossibility, and the Grand Duchy makes peace overtures to the Nemesis Concordat. For its part, the Federation is overstretched, with a badly reduced navy, and is concerned with the power and vigor of the Fifth Reich in the Contested Systems. Unable to prosecute further offensives, and fearful of attrition war, the Federation agrees to an armistice. Reich operatives connive to disrupt the peace process, but are unsuccessful, and the Reich declares its intention to defend Orrock "with fanatical zeal". With the Commonwealth serving as a moderator, the '''Archenar-Aurolia Treaty is signed on Old Colchis between the Federation President and Countess von Grindehook. The treaty allows the Duchy to retain its control of Vvaryl and the Fury System, and recognizes Federation sovereignty on Ishkaar, Magu Minor, Old Colchis, Yeth, and New Xaxus (once again renamed DeKirk's World). The treaty furthermore includes provisions for an exchange of prisoners from each side. Lord General Nharrod and his army are returned to Duchy territory and- to the total befuddlement of Reich observers- are welcomed home as heroes. 1501: The Fuhrer, Vorian von Traupitz makes his first state visit to the newest Reich world of Orrock. In the midst of his address to the people and the forces of the Reich he comes under assault by assassins funded by the Duchy and organized by the head of DIM, Caractacus Veed. While the assassination attempt fails and the Reich security forces perform admirably, several of the would-be assassins escape... with operatives of the Geister Der Krieges in pursuit. Evidence is inconclusive but based on sudden coldness towards the Duchy and a veiled threat made by Reichsfuhrer-SS Wilhem Deitrich, it is possible that elements within the Reich believe their ally attempted to stab them in the back. 1501: The Derelict Wars end in what many consider a brilliant Federation victory thanks to the vision and leadership of General Argus Bradley. At the end of the war, Federation gains in territory and population are massive, and the former Contested Systems are renamed the Federal Colchis Provinces. The Grand Duchy is percieved by most outsiders to have suffered a great and embarrassing defeat, though astute observers note that far from suffering catastrophic losses, the Ducal Army grew immensely during the twelve year period, and is a far more cohesive and more experienced organization than the ramshackle and defensive conglomeration of disparate forces it was at the start of the conflict. Likewise, the Duchy Navy earned one of the greatest victories in Quadrant history...as well as control of the Derelict. Aftermath 1502: New Aurolian President is elected for Office. 1502: Civil war and slave revolts erupt within the Nerkin Empire, after the Empire suffers a complete economic meltdown and succession crisis. Seven claimants to the Imperial throne are successively murdered within a space of months, and the Third Ducal Expeditionary Army, originally slated for use in Operation Random Gambit, is dispatched to the Nerkin home systems in an "amicable, peacekeeping role, to ensure the internal stability of our valued alien allies." The Commonwealth silently watches as the Duchy willingly chains itself to a "corpse". 1503: Federation begins widespread domestic militarization, disbanding Law Enforcment, and Military Police, merging them with the Ministry Guard to be reorganized into the Aurolian Secuirty and Enforcement Corp. The quasi-civilian Psi-ops organization is merged with the Federal Strategic Information Service. All formerly discharged agents are offered the chance for reenlistment. New plans for Mass Colonization of nearby systems are underway. 1503: The Derelict is successfully extracted from the minefield and moved to the Archenar System. 1504: Admiral Veng of the Nerkin 7th Fleet is declared Nerkin Emperor, and the final flames of civil war are snuffed out in the Ipeffit System by the Third Ducal Expeditionary Army. The Nerkin Third Empire is born. The Grand Duchy deigns the Third Empire a xenos-fiefdom, and annexes the Nerkin planet of Zanxi as a direct Vassalate. Category:Aurolian Federation Category:The Commonwealth Category:The Duchy Category:UNISEC Category:The Reich Category:Drogue Category:The Free State